Around Baseball 2026

[G-Snarls]

20 minutes ago, jaysblue said:

Mike Trout would be the dream target, but I still have a hard time seeing them ever actually trading him. As sweet as that would be, it feels more like fantasy than something the Angels would realistically do.
 

Same.  I wish we could get him. 

But they wouldn't trade Ohtani when they should have, and they have somehow convinced Trout they're actually trying to win.  And he has a full no trade clause to boot. 

[Brownie19]

39 minutes ago, jaysblue said:

None of those contracts are really all that appealing.

Maybe Adames or Chapman, if they get back to being 4-WAR players, but even then, the back end of those deals could get pretty ugly. You’re probably paying for the decline years later.

The Angels could very well end up being early sellers.

Mike Trout would be the dream target, but I still have a hard time seeing them ever actually trading him. As sweet as that would be, it feels more like fantasy than something the Angels would realistically do.
 

I believe Trout is owed $35.4M per year until 2030.  Angels would have to eat a ton of that, and Trout has a full no-trade clause.  

[hanton]

go get Trout

Can't imagine what a trade for Trout would look like,  From Trouts pov he has to be wondering what it would feel like playing for a contender /  a serious baseball team

[max silver]

32 minutes ago, G-Snarls said:

Same.  I wish we could get him. 

But they wouldn't trade Ohtani when they should have, and they have somehow convinced Trout they're actually trying to win.  And he has a full no trade clause to boot. 

I recall that the Angels hands were largely tied in terms of trading Ohtani due to the marketing agreements that they had in place.

[Laika]

17 minutes ago, Brownie19 said:

I believe Trout is owed $35.4M per year until 2030.  Angels would have to eat a ton of that, and Trout has a full no-trade clause.  

That's not that bad. I actually think some teams MIGHT just take it on. 

• He has been worth 1.7 WAR in 40 games this year
• He projects for 2.3-3.2 more WAR in 99 more games this year (139 games, 4 to 4.9 fWAR)
• $37m AAV is only asking for like 3 WAR of production
• His ability to stay on the field is terrible but his talent has remained through this age 34 season, so you cannot question the 5+ WAR upside 
• It's only 4 more season after this one. It's almost 2030!!!!
• Huge marketing / star impact thing for many teams 

I think you could comp him to someone like Jake Degrom when he was a free agent at 35 and guess what he got paid.... drumroll...

Contract	5 yr, $185M (2023-27) (RR)

ALMOST EXACTLY WHAT TROUT HAS LEFT WTF

AND HE'S NOT A PITCHER!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

[BTS]

2 hours ago, Brownie19 said:

USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports that the Giants “would love” to unload large contracts for players like Rafael Devers, Jung Hoo Lee, Willy Adames, and Matt Chapman.

The Giants made one big move already, sending Patrick Bailey to the Guardians, and it seems like that could just be one step in a full-on rebuild. All of Jung Hoo Lee ($85 million left on his contract), shortstop Willy Adames ($161 million remaining), first baseman Rafael Devers ($226.5 million remaining), and Matt Chapman ($125 million remaining) are owed plenty of money going forward, so the Giants could have plenty of interesting levers to pull as we get closer to the trade deadline.

Buster Posey appears to have absolutely no idea what he's doing 

[G-Snarls]

4 minutes ago, BTS said:

Buster Posey appears to have absolutely no idea what he's doing 

In the last 25-30 years, how many ex players have made good GM's/presidents of baseball ops?

[jaysblue]

1 hour ago, Brownie19 said:

I believe Trout is owed $35.4M per year until 2030.  Angels would have to eat a ton of that, and Trout has a full no-trade clause.  

Yeah, Trout pretty much decides where he wants to go at this point.

This is probably the best time for the Angels to trade him if they ever seriously considered moving him. If he keeps up this pace, he’s likely on track for a 5-ish WAR season, and $35.4M per year really isn’t that outrageous for a player of his stature.

You’d be on the hook for four more years after this season, but he’s still a star player and a massive name. He can still handle centre field in a pinch too, so putting him in a corner wouldn’t be a huge issue. Plus, with Springer becoming a free agent after this season, you could rotate Trout between the outfield and DH. And if Varsho also leaves, at least you’d have a legitimate centre field option for next season.
 

[jaysblue]

1 hour ago, hanton said:

go get Trout

Can't imagine what a trade for Trout would look like,  From Trouts pov he has to be wondering what it would feel like playing for a contender /  a serious baseball team

Yeah, I actually think there’s a real chance Trout gets traded this season. Heck, I wouldn’t be surprised if MLB itself would love to see him on a contending team and finally playing meaningful baseball in October.

Trout is an East Coast guy, so I could definitely see him waiving his NTC for a team like the Yankees, Blue Jays, Phillies, or Braves.

Jim Bowden seems to think the Braves have a legitimate shot at trading for him. How much weight you want to put into that rumour is another story, considering it’s coming from Jim Bowden lol.

https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/mlb-insider-says-braves-legitimate-194935124.html

[Brownie19]

4 hours ago, hanton said:

go get Trout

Can't imagine what a trade for Trout would look like,  From Trouts pov he has to be wondering what it would feel like playing for a contender /  a serious baseball team

Doubtful he looks at Toronto to achieve this...

[Spanky__99]

Yeah, no f***in' thanks.

 

[jaysblue]

1 hour ago, Brownie19 said:

Doubtful he looks at Toronto to achieve this...

Trout and Vladdy would be a pretty nice middle-of-the-order combo.

I actually think Trout would be a great fit here. He lengthens the lineup, gives the Jays another big bat, brings legitimate star power, and if healthy, he’s still potentially a 4–5 WAR player. You’re also adding a guy who is probably starving to finally play meaningful October baseball and chase a World Series.

The biggest deciding factor is whether he’d actually want Toronto, or if he’d prefer to stay with a U.S.-based contender.
 

[Stangstag]

5 hours ago, hanton said:

go get Trout

Can't imagine what a trade for Trout would look like,  From Trouts pov he has to be wondering what it would feel like playing for a contender /  a serious baseball team

I don’t think Trout has any interest in moving teams. 

[jaysblue]

7 hours ago, Stangstag said:

I don’t think Trout has any interest in moving teams. 

If he wants to play closer to New Jersey and have a real shot at postseason baseball, some of those East Coast teams could make a very strong case.

I get that some players love the idea of staying with one organization for their entire career, but it’s not like Trout won a World Series in Anaheim. At some point, the chance to play meaningful October baseball has to matter. And let’s be honest, the Angels haven’t exactly been the model organization during his time there either.

[Stangstag]

2 hours ago, jaysblue said:

If he wants to play closer to New Jersey and have a real shot at postseason baseball, some of those East Coast teams could make a very strong case.

I get that some players love the idea of staying with one organization for their entire career, but it’s not like Trout won a World Series in Anaheim. At some point, the chance to play meaningful October baseball has to matter. And let’s be honest, the Angels haven’t exactly been the model organization during his time there either.

I honestly don’t think he cares about playing “meaningful baseball”

He seems like a guy perfectly content to collect his paycheck and remain in LA and be comfortable.

[Brownie19]

13 minutes ago, Stangstag said:

I honestly don’t think he cares about playing “meaningful baseball”

He seems like a guy perfectly content to collect his paycheck and remain in LA and be comfortable.

Yeah I always got the same impression.  That may change as he ages I guess.

It is remarkable how well he's sustained his talent/metrics throughout all these injuries.  It's been sad to see him become somewhat of an afterthought amongst fans - my kids don't fully appreciate how amazing he was (is?).  It would be great to see him age gracefully, with a few more 5+ WAR seasons and finish with 100+ WAR for his career.

It just seems the likelihood of that happening is quite low.  He's a massive risk for any team at his current price.  I don't see anyone taking that on without the Angels eating a lot.  If you have to take his full contract, than I don't think you're going to have to give up much in return.

[mphenhef]

17 hours ago, G-Snarls said:

Same.  I wish we could get him. 

But they wouldn't trade Ohtani when they should have, and they have somehow convinced Trout they're actually trying to win.  And he has a full no trade clause to boot. 

Ohtani included a bunch of extra revenue from Japan.  I'm not sure Trout has as much of a pull on their revenue as Ohtani did so might be a guy they would trade.  That being said, it would take a significant future haul for them to do so and I'm not sure it is worth it at this point in his career.

[Jonn]

[Brownie19]

Is that Shane Gillis?  That is awesome.

[SeranthonySantander]

Bichette with one of his best games of the year.  A hit, RBI, a walk, just saw him do a 9 pitch at bat all while bumping his average a point to .223 and adding 2 OPS points to .561

[BTS]

9 hours ago, SeranthonySantander said:

Bichette with one of his best games of the year.  A hit, RBI, a walk, just saw him do a 9 pitch at bat all while bumping his average a point to .223 and adding 2 OPS points to .561

I love that having a hit and a walk legitimately qualifies as one of his best games of the year 

[hanton]

what does that have to do with Shane Gillis though?  I mean it's a funny pic...

[Terminator]

 

[Laika]

Max Fried....

[Terminator]

And there go the Yankees' World Series hopes lmao

Maybe next year guys!

 

 

[Laika]

Queue the annual Yankees collapse 

[Laika]

Volpe called up, Fried TJS immediately 

This is causal 

[Terminator]

26 minutes ago, Laika said:

Queue the annual Yankees collapse 

Yep, the Yankees are cooked.

• Step 1: The team ace gets hurt
• Step 2: The Yankees do a whole song and dance to delay inevitable surgery, thus putting his whole 2027 season in doubt <----we are currently here
• Step 3: Anthony Volpe makes an error in his season debut and the entire fanbase has a meltdown
• Step 4: Yanks back into a WC spot but Aaron Judge underperforms and the Yanks are bounced early
• Step 5: Yankees have a modest offseason and bring back Aaron Boone
• Step 6: Rinse and repeat in 2027

[Terminator]

Wait a second, I missed the Volpe error lmao

We are already onto Step 3 lmao

[Terminator]

You guys gotta read the replies to that Talkin' Yanks tweet. Some truly phenomenal stuff is being tweeted in there.